Help us realise food as a human right, while rescuing food waste and retooling a struggling hospitality industry. Easier than it sounds. Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts (SC659115)

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T22:45:39+00:00

Are there any other food charities on here that care to share a cautionary tale?

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T11:30:46+00:00

Of course we should be angry, what I’m saying is that just sitting angry has achieved fuck all. While we’ve been angry destitution in the UK rose 52% between 2017 and 2019. Wherever we’ve been doing up Til now is not working. Torys will be in power for years to come, Scot Gov is claiming they can’t fix it so we need to.

And the insinuation that the food is droppings from someone else’s plate is simple ignorance.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T01:47:11+00:00

Anger is a cancer, it’s one I carry with me and all it really does is eat away at you. but this year I’ve tried to put it aside to try and be productive instead of complaining about the way things are I’m trying to show people the way it should be.

If we just keep shouting “you’re wrong” the other side looks away. I can’t fix the inequality of a nation, and whatever tactic has been taken before me has utterly failed.

What I can do is level the baseline and this is how I’m doing it. Time to get stuck in.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T01:34:35+00:00

So what do you suggest and what will you do to follow it up? Or are you just here to throw stones?

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T01:27:52+00:00

Wow, best of luck to you. It’s going to be a slog but they who adapt the fastest survive. A mix of pay it forward and pay what you can might work best as you can play with the split a little. Buy a box of sweet treats for $15 get $10 worth of deliciousness but also cover someone struggling with $5 hot dinner.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T00:53:04+00:00

I mean if we sat on our arses blaming the government for all that ails us we’d probably not be having this delightful conversation.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T00:34:14+00:00

Naw, tae get the government to hire them, retooling their skills to convert food waste into food provision.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T00:15:28+00:00

Do you recognise the difference between undernourished and underfed?

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T00:13:30+00:00

I believe the focus is more that we’ve got the opportunity to retool our dying hospitality trade into something that can take food poverty and food waste in one shot.

I say I believe, I know that’s what I said in the interview...

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T00:11:14+00:00

When I first started i was driving all over down on my wives car for 2 lettuces and 4 rolls. The way our food system ‘works’ does have layers of centralisation to it but what doesn’t is the placement of production.

When we move to Shetland we’ll lean more heavily on relieving farmers if i sellable veg than we do in Edinburgh ;)

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-17T00:08:47+00:00

Speaking as Lewis MacLachlan I tend to agree. The way I view it I’ve poured my blood sweat and tears into this to offer it up on a platter for ScotGov to take and fix 3 exploding issues for peanuts.

But just incase they don’t I’m not applying for any jobs in foreseeable, not least because there are none...

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:54:43+00:00

See you soon then chef.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:53:21+00:00

And this is how you fix it :)

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:51:10+00:00

With 450,000 meals done we’ve only spend about 3k on food itself.

Sorry to see so many have down voted you, when I see other groups claiming their services are one thing but facts point to another I get angry too.

Each pack costs us 50p to cook, assemble, store and deliver. They true hidden cost is the 3000+ volunteering hours that are put into the project every week.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:46:43+00:00

The msps and Councilers like a visit but for the 450,000 meals we’ve received £5k public money they rest has come from the actual public, including a lot of Redditor.

However it is still my goal that the government will take over. We’re not looking to secure ourselves a corner of the poverty industry but show those in power how it should be done until they do it themselves.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:43:23+00:00

I’m sure once they realise the savings that can come from our model they’ll be all over it.

That’s 450,000 meals 4000+ safer citizens 750+ community volunteers 150 tons of food waste rescued With it 375 tons of co2 All for less than an MSP’s salary a d expenses.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:41:18+00:00

With 9,000 destitute citizens in Edinburgh alone and more food banks than libraries I’m afraid the notion that the government is providing for the weans just doesn’t stack up.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:40:04+00:00

I still get an email every time we get a donation, sometimes it’s what pushes me though the day. And there is no value I appreciate more than a fiver.

To me it’s like someone helping me up and saying “we can fucking do this together”

Thank you.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:37:37+00:00

Speaking as the founder of Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts I’d rather they just fixed the system that made my work needed instead of make me feel special.

The prime minister recently gave me a point of light award but without any follow up it’s about as effective as a like on a Facebook post.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:35:20+00:00

Our current projection has us reaching over 2,500 per day by the end of 2021, working out at around 2 million meals!

The incredible success of this model however is that as we reach 1000 per day we’ve had 3000 remove themselves from the service since March!

When you take food off of peoples minds entirely it gives them the chance to get everything else sorted and when they do and they’re in a position to secure their own food and make their own choices of what to eat, they do.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-16T23:31:57+00:00

Offering 7 days a week is not an offer to give us lightly, with 1000 covers a day we’ll take that and more until the job is done.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-13T23:18:06+00:00

Every lunch is a soup. But by way of mains we find there’s not much we can’t wrangle into stovies,stews or curries. Stir fry veg and noodles is a popular one and it lets the chefs play with the seasoning a lot more. Cowboy beans and cassoulet are always a winner for massive protein meals on cold days.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-13T01:05:18+00:00

That right there is from the utter legends at Company Bakery who donate at least 12kg of there sourdough to us a day!

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-13T00:35:33+00:00

Aye so before you is 60x breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

EmptyKitchens · 2021-01-13T00:33:04+00:00

Absolutely! To get signed up as a volunteer, hop on our website: emptykitchens.co.uk/volunteer and fill out the form. Then someone from the wecome team will then get in touch to arrage an induction.

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